


Good Relations

by Bumpkin



Category: Batman Beyond
Genre: Drama, Future Fic, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-09-30
Updated: 2004-09-29
Packaged: 2017-10-18 00:58:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/183233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bumpkin/pseuds/Bumpkin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Time has passed, new friends are made, and relationships have been mended all except for one. Terry intends to fix that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Okay this fic has been done for a while and its just been moldering on my HD - I have to admit I wasn't too sure of how it would go over. See I do both, read the comics and watch the toons - and certain characters just don't mesh between the two. So even though I borrowed a bit from the comics to round out one character, make no mistake that its not the same character. Ok, 'nuff said, remember feedback is what feeds the muses and makes the writing flow for us insane fanfic authors. ;-)

Good Relations  
By Marns AKA Bumpkin  
Rated: PG

 _Wayne Manor, Gotham  
Late Spring, 2048  
7:48 p.m._

Bruce sat at his desk in the dim study at the manor. He was looking at the legal papers spread out on its top pensively. The papers spread out comprised what there was of his last will and testament. Bruce had decided to drag the depressing documents out after his last stint in the hospital for his heart. It had been thirty years since he had revised his will, and it had been just about as long since he had last seen the main beneficiary named in it. Now with Terry, and everything that had happened in the time since he had become Bruce's personal assistant, it seemed like the document needed revision again.

With a sigh, Bruce sat back in his leather desk chair. He really hated thinking about stuff like this – it only made him more aware of his mortality and the issues still unresolved of his lifetime. Thankfully there were not as many of those anymore, and Bruce owed that set of circumstances all to Terry. The brash youngster had woken Bruce up from his version of living death when he crashed his stolen motorbike so spectacularly into the front gates of the manor that night when he was followed by that troupe of Joker wannabes. Fighting with Terry by his side, even with such a rabble had brought back memories of better days. Even when his heart had started to act up afterwards, it had still been a straightforward fight – almost cleansing from the last time that he had gone out in the suit and had to resort to using that gun. It had seemed almost fated for Terry to end up in the Batsuit after that.

Directing Terry, and watching as he doggedly made both mistakes and strides – both in and out of the suit – Bruce had discovered a new lease on life. He was again fighting the battle he had devoted his life to, and in the process was reacquainted with first, Barbara, and then a few years later, Tim. He also, through Terry, had the mixed joy of meeting Max Gibson and after the whole fiasco with the Joker, Dana Tan. Two girls that his young assistant was very close to but in different ways and trusted implicitly, which was a good thing since they both knew the secret. That was something else that was different nowadays, Bruce mused, the number of non-participants in the know. Back in his day, you knew if you flew and that was it, but he guessed that times changed, and either you changed with them or you broke.

Times changed... sometimes you could do your best to ignore it, but it always caught up to you in the end, didn't it? Bruce smiled his faint little smile as he thought of the new little tradition Terry had set up behind his back after the mess with the Joker returning. The 'family' dinners once a month for the whole extended 'Bat'-family and friends.

For the first one Terry had set Bruce up, he had known that the older man never would have agreed to attend – so he hadn't given him the option. 'The sneak,' Bruce thought with some pride. It had been late Saturday afternoon and they had just finished running a bunch of errands that they had put off for a while. Terry had swung the car around, heading to Max's instead of back to the manor like Bruce had expected. After putting the car into park, Terry had slung an arm along the backrest of the seat and faced his mentor's questioning look.

He had said flippantly, "Listen Bruce, you might as well come up with me for a minute – if you don't you know that Max is just going to come down here and harass you anyway." Bruce had just grunted sourly and got out of the car. He knew Terry was telling the truth. The girl was a pest. No doubt born that way and she had only gotten worse as the years had gone by.

The first inkling that Bruce had that he had been set up by his young assistant was when they had gotten near Max's door and Bruce had heard a distinctive voice that really shouldn't have been there – Barbara Gordon's.

"What's going on McGinnis?" He had growled.

Terry had just grinned and opened the door letting Bruce see that there were more people in the room than just Barbara. Her husband, Sam Young was with his wife and Mary and Matt McGinnis were there too. Tim Drake and his entire family were present as well, and then there were Max and Dana. The entire lot had started calling out welcoming greetings as soon as they saw Terry and Bruce, ushering them into the very crowded apartment.

"McGinnis, you realize of course that you are going to pay dearly for this." Bruce said almost inaudibly into his young protég's ear.

Terry didn't seem fazed in the least, he just leaned over and said in an equally quiet voice, "Get over it old man – odd as you may find this – there are people in this world that care about you. And all they want to do is spend time with you in a relaxed and homey atmosphere."

Bruce had just blinked. He hadn't known how to react to Terry's little speech. Numb, he had let himself be steered towards a seat at the head of the table that had been set up in the middle of Max's living room. After he had been seated the rest of the table followed suit, migrating into very interesting little clumps Bruce noted. The kids of course all managed to sit together, mostly, with their parents flanking them on both side and Tim's two separated by his wife. Barb sat beside Tim with Sam beside her. Dana sat between Mary McGinnis and Terry. Max had taken the other seat beside Bruce. It was almost as if the two teens were buffering him from the rest of the people – or maybe it was the other way around Bruce thought with some amusement.

It had been a rough start to the evening – no question of that – but Bruce had soon begun to relax and to his surprise also actually have fun. The varied intelligent conversations floating around the table had caught his interest and he hadn't been able to stay silent for long. 'At least not when he knew what they were talking about and could correct them,' he remembered with a smirk.

The rest of the night had passed surprisingly quickly, dinner and then dessert had been consumed amidst so many topics that most of the adults had barely been aware of what they were eating. The kids, of course, had run off to play vid-games in Max's room as soon as the dessert plates were cleared. The older set had sat and conversed with each other quietly while the three younger adults had cleaned up. The three were quickly included back into the conversation with their elders when they finished, their alternate views of the topics made an interesting contrast.

It had turned into the most pleasant time that Bruce had spent in the company of a gathering of people that he could ever remember having, and when it started to break up shortly after nine, he had felt vaguely disappointed to his own astonishment. Terry effectively nipped that upset in the bud though when he turned to Barbara and asked casually, "So, next month your place? Same time?"

Bruce guessed that the surprise he had felt at hearing that had been more than displayed on his face in some kind of dumbfounded expression, because Barb and Tim had taken one look at him and started to laugh. Bruce had managed to regain his equilibrium in fairly short order and shot Terry a look that promised dire things were to come. Terry had just laughed and let the dark look roll off his back like water would off a duck's.

"C'mon Bruce, I'll take you straight home now – for real this time." He gave Dana a kiss goodbye before he had followed the hollowly grumbling old man out the door.

And that had been the start of a very pleasant tradition they still followed to this day. Every month they had an extended family dinner gathering with each smaller part of the family hosting it in rotation. After Max and Dana had taken the first, as it was the perfect place to surprise Bruce with the idea, Barb and Sam had volunteered for the second. Tim and his family asked to be after them and Mary said she would take the last, but that is where they ran into their first snag.

Bruce had wondered at Mary's why they were talking about going back to Max's the next month again, "What's wrong with the manor?" he had wanted to know. Everyone – except the kids – had turned to him in shock.

"You want to host a dinner Bruce?" Terry had asked.

"Seeing as everybody else here has and that I am something of the patriarchal figure of this group, don't you all think that I should at least get a chance?"

There was a lot of hemming and hawing going on in the air around him that faded into an uncomfortable silence. Nobody knew what to say – this was a twist they hadn't expected, after all, they all knew how Bruce valued his privacy. So he had thrown in,

"Besides, I am starting to feel like a mooch, and that just doesn't sit right with me. You know, that being a billionaire thing and all..."

Bruce actually grinned as he remembered how that statement had broken the stunned silence into welcome laughter. Everyone had relaxed and they all had agreed then that next month was Bruce's turn to play host and teasing him. Saying that seeing as he was some kind of 'billionaire' they expected something out of this world.

His meandering recollections of the past were broken when the present version of Terry burst into the study on his way to the clock. He stopped in his tracks though when he saw Bruce sitting at the desk in the twilight.

"Bruce? What are you doing there?" he asked ingenuously, his mind obviously on other matters.

"Going over my will. Thinking that I am going to have to make some changes to the stupid thing again." Bruce said tiredly.

"Why? Are you not feeling well? Should I call the doctor?" Panicked, Terry was already reaching for the phone as he spoke. Bruce hurriedly slammed his hand down on top of the instrument before Terry could pick it up as he said,

"No. It was that last heart attack – got me thinking of a few things, that's all."

"Oh." Terry calmed down. "What were you thinking of changing?"

"The main beneficiary."

Terry looked at Bruce blankly. "Has something happened to Dick?" and then he asked before Bruce even had a chance to answer his first question, "Well who would you change it too? Tim?"

"No, nothing has happened to Dick, as far as I know he is still doing fine – just still not speaking to me. And no, I wasn't going to name Tim, not as my main beneficiary anyway." Bruce said dryly. "Actually, I was thinking of you."

"Me?" Terry squeaked. "Why me?" His shock was more than apparent.

"Who else? Terry, you are carrying on the legacy of Batman – when are you going to realize that part of that legacy is Wayne Enterprises? Why do you think that I've fought so hard to stop any and all takeovers since I regained power?" Bruce said exasperated, sometimes he really wondered about McGinnis. The kid could be so bloody thick at times.

Terry stuttered, obviously flustered, "I – uh – well... S _laggit_ Bruce! I just thought that you didn't want another dreg like Powers to get into control and use the company for dirty dealings. I never guessed that it was because of Batman."

Bruce fought an urge to roll his eyes. He knew that Terry wasn't as dumb as he sounded at the moment; it was just that the young man didn't think that he had what it took to run a large corporation like Wayne Enterprises. He didn't realize that between him and his friend Max, the pair of them had already been doing just that for close to two years now.

"But Bruce, what about Dick? He's your son."

Bruce sighed. Yes, Dick was his son, but one that he hadn't seen in almost thirty years. How could he entrust his legacy – either one – to someone who couldn't stand to be in the same city as him, let alone the same room? He saw how much of a mistake it had been letting someone he didn't know like Powers get a hold of and run Wayne Enterprises – he couldn't let something like that happen again. The thought hurt, but Bruce didn't know who Dick was anymore, not really. Thirty years was a very long time.

"Terry... "Bruce started as he looked up into the younger man's eyes. He didn't know it, but Terry could clearly see the pain the older man was feeling in that gaze that matched with his own. 'Curse you Dick Grayson, Bruce doesn't need this.' Terry thought savagely. Dick was Bruce's son, and they both needed to fix what was keeping them apart – before it was too late.

"No Bruce, not now. Please." Terry started sharply but then softened, "I know that you've tried before, but would you try again to contact Dick? I just can't accept anything from you unless I know that I won't be getting in between a father and son. That's just something I can't do – you know that."

Bruce nodded, what else could he do? He knew what was preying on his young friend's mind, the way that things had ended between him and his own father. Terry had always regretted that the last words he and Warren McGinnis had exchanged had been in anger. He just didn't want to see Bruce and Dick have to live with the same thing, either of them.

Terry just stared at him for a moment more, then abruptly turned and went through the clock. Bruce could hear the bats rustling and squeaking as Terry's entrance disturbed them. He didn't hear anything after that until he heard the whine of the Batmobile's turbines start up, loud at first and then fading as Terry accelerated out of the cave.

Neither of the two men had seen Barbara Gordon where she stood in the shadows just outside the door as they spoke with each other. She had come in shortly after Terry and had heard most of it. Then she just had to wait for a chance to make her presence known, which was given when Terry left so hastily.

"Bruce," She called softly as she moved into the lighted doorway, "what are you going to do?"

"Barb?" Bruce frowned. "How long were you standing there?"

"Long enough to get the gist." She replied wryly.

"Harrumph, surrounded by meddlers I am." Bruce groused. Barbara just chuckled, knowing his bark was just his way of letting off steam. Plus it sounded like he had been trying to make a joke, maybe – this was Bruce after all.

"That was the worst Yoda imitation that I have ever heard Bruce." Barbara said with a wince. Then she sobered, "Seriously, what are you going to do though?" she asked with concern.

Bruce sighed heavily before he replied. "What can I do Barb? Since I've managed to mend my fences with you and Tim, I've tried to contact Dick numerous times, in numerous ways – he refuses me every way I try. There's nothing more I can do." He looked almost defeated. "Did you know that he never even bothered to call when Terry started up in the suit? I'd thought for sure that I was going to get a call then with him frothing at the mouth."

Barbara nodded empathically before she turned and walked out. She understood. There was nothing really that she could add to what her older friend had said, unless you counted name-calling as valid conversation. Driving back to the city in her car from Wayne manor gave her plenty of time to think over things.

She _had_ been able to talk to Dick over the years, unlike Bruce, but never had any luck in trying to convince him to come home either. He was still obsessed with not wanting to live in his adoptive father's shadow to a point that she found ridiculous. The man was a success in his chosen field; he had no call to be so bitter. Not now, not after they had both hung up the capes and masks that had been the major bone of contention between the two of them. Bruce's firing of Dick as Robin had been a major boneheaded move on Bruce's part, granted – but at least his heart had been in the right place. Even if Dick hadn't ever been able to see it that way. Bruce had just felt responsible when Dick had gotten shot; he'd thought that he'd put the boy into an unnecessarily risky position – so he corrected it. Simple enough as he saw it, too bad that wasn't how Dick saw things.

Dick had always acted like Bruce's firing him meant that he was the one to blame for getting hurt. Like Bruce somehow blamed him. That he should have known how to avoid the bullet when that wasn't the case at all. Things had only gotten worse when Bruce's back had been broken by Bane and he hadn't asked Dick to replace him in the Batsuit, but Azreal instead. 'Guess that when they say a doctor shouldn't work on those that they know, they know what they are talking about,' Barbara thought. There was no way someone as smart as Dick, who had a degree in psychology could be so blind otherwise.

'At least Tim and I didn't have to worry about second guessing our educations or anything like that when Terry's unwitting presence as the new Batman helped us patch things up with Bruce...' Wait, could that be it? Could it really be that simple? Barbara's brows furrowed as she mused, everyone that Bruce interacted with nowadays – voluntarily anyway, not through business – was somehow due to Terry. She smiled. Now she knew what she had to do – all she had to do was set it in motion.

 _Gotham Harbor  
Same Night  
11:12 p.m._

Even after almost ten years had passed, Terry still got a thrill when he was able to push the Batmobile to its ultimate limits, which is what he was in the process of doing at the moment. Describing wild loop-de-loops in the air and seeing exactly how fast he could make the sleek black vehicle go. He had known that if he went onto the streets in the condition that he had left the cave in, things could – and probably would – have gotten messy fairly quickly. Not a good idea, not when loss of focus could easily cost him his life, or a criminal theirs. So to keep things safe, he was out over the middle of Gotham harbor blowing off some steam. It wasn't the most productive use of his time, but that was okay, everyone needed some time to goof off. Even Batman.

He straightened out his wild looping and slowed down to a more sedate cruising pace when the dash com-link beeped, letting him know that someone was trying to call him. Flicking on the vid-screen Terry was surprised to see the face of Barbara Gordon. She rarely called him on the 'Bat' channels if she could help it, relying on the times that she interacted with him as Terry to talk to him.

"Something I can help you with Commish?" He asked curiously. Barbara looked a bit guilty, which peaked Terry's interest even higher. He cocked his head questioningly.

"Terry, I have a confession to make – I overheard you and Bruce tonight in the study." Ouch, he didn't want to talk about that, it was still too raw. But before he could make a move to hang up on her, Barbara forestalled him by saying. "Please, hear me out." Terry nodded once curtly, letting her know that it wasn't something that he wanted to prolong.

The older woman smiled slightly at his prickly manner, 'so much like Bruce in some ways its remarkable' she thought. "I know it was a private discussion and I wasn't supposed to hear it, but I did – and I think that you should know that Bruce _has_ tried to get into contact with Dick – it's just that Dick isn't letting himself be contacted, not by Bruce at any rate."

"Not by Bruce?" It didn't take Terry long to figure out, "you mean that you and Tim have talked to him since the rest of you guys have patched things up and he _still_ won't come back?" he asked incredulously. "Damn, and I thought the old man was stubborn."

"Got it right on the first try McGinnis." Barbara smiled. She knew Terry wasn't really a slouch in the deductive reasoning department, contrary to the show he had put on for Bruce earlier. It reassured her that her plan just might work. "He and Bruce have some... er... _issues_ spanning decades kid. I thought I should let you know, especially if you are set on this course of yours and trying to get them to reconcile. It just might be a bit more than you can handle."

"Issues," Terry snorted, "that's a mild way of saying it isn't it? From the little that I have managed to pry out of Bruce over the years and the stuff that you and Tim have inadvertently mentioned in passing conversations we've had over the years, I think I have a vague idea of at least some of the problems I'll be running headlong into. Solid brick walls could be considered cushier." His tone was beyond sardonic and Barbara couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah well, here's the irony of it all as far as I am concerned – Dick is a psychologist for troubled youths in Bludhaven now. He deals mostly with the ones who tend to have anger problems." Terry laughed openly.

That did seem rather ironic. A man who used to dress up in long underwear to go out and beat the living tar out of criminals every night with father 'issues' as a counselor for troubled youths with aggression problems – but then again, he would have an inside track on the evils the kids were faced with wouldn't he? From both sides of the fence. Terry sobered as he remembered something else that he had overheard in various conversations and asked a bit confused, "But – I thought that he was a cop like you?"

"Well, when he wasn't needed anymore as Nightwing, he quit the police force at the same time and started to work out of Bludhaven Juvenile Hall. He is quite the success story for a late career change." She smiled. "He has the highest success rate in stopping repeat offenders in the city. Actually, that is usually part of his excuse that he can't come back here – he says that if he came here he would feel like he had abandoned his 'kids'." She rolled her eyes to show what she thought of that excuse.

"God, would that I had such a devoted psychologist when I was in juvvie." Terry muttered.

It was Barbara's turn to snort this time. "You never needed one of Dick's caliber McGinnis. You were never really a bad kid, just confused and misguided. You fell into a better crowd soon enough, didn't you?" she indicated herself with a grin.

Terry's lips quirked with amusement, she had a point – going from juvvie to hanging out with the police commissioner and her husband the D.A. as well as the reclusive billionaire Bruce Wayne... Yeah, he guessed that could be considered a step up the social ladder. But how the situation had come about... "Hanging out with an old man, wearing tights and skulking around until the wee hours of the night punching people out is a better crowd?" Terry joked.

Barbara choked. "McGinnis!"

He just grinned saucily at her and winked. Then he said softly, "Thanks for letting me know about the situation with Grayson Barbara, I appreciate it. Who knows how long I would've had to wait until Bruce told me." Barbara smiled kindly at his soft thanks, winked in return and signed off.

Thoughtfully Terry stared at the now dark screen. Then he made up his mind. "Computer give me a listing for Grayson, R. Dr. residential in Bludhaven please."

'Even if Dick didn't want to listen, he's going to get an earful tonight.' Terry thought as he pushed the Batmobile full throttle ahead, aiming for a certain residence in Bludhaven.

\- tbc -


	2. Chapter 2

_Bludhaven  
Early Morning  
12:28 a.m._

Terry soon found himself coasting over the rooftops of Gotham's so-called sister city. He was surprised at how clean it looked. He remembered hearing the stories of when not too long ago the city had been corrupt right from it's core. In some of the stories that Terry had heard Tim and Barbara tell, Dick had moved to the area with the intention of attacking the crooks from both sides. On the streets as Nightwing, and in the force as an officer working his way up through the ranks, as well as in the government via some behind the scenes lobbying and anonymous donations.

'Seems like it worked.' Terry was impressed. He only had to stop two muggings and one attempted sexual assault on his way to Grayson's house. It was peanuts in the way of crime, nothing like he was used to dealing with in Gotham. Soon enough he found himself outside of the penthouse condominium that Dick Grayson called home.

Lights were still on, good – at least he wouldn't be waking the guy up. That could have made things start off on a really bad foot and they were bound to be bad enough with the subject matter.

He dropped from the hatch on the Batmobile's belly to the open terrace and knocked on the sliding glass doors, curious about the man that he was finally about to meet. It seemed that he had heard so much about him that, in some ways, he already knew the man. He just had never actually met or seen him before.

Terry felt himself tense automatically as he watched the figure on the other side approach. 'Jeez, he's just like Bruce, Barb and Tim. He might be retired, but still moves like a damn predator.' He consciously had to force himself to relax before the person on the other side of the door saw him in such a battle ready posture. He succeeded just as the light for the terrace flickered on and the door slid open. 'Whew!' Last thing he needed was for the guy to think that Terry was hostile – or at least, hostile for the wrong reasons.

"Oh – it's you." The older man who had opened the door made no motions to invite Terry in, and Terry didn't ask. "I was wondering who would knock on my _penthouse_ balcony door." He didn't sound impressed. 'Sarcastic enough? Jeez.' Terry was fighting the urge to wince; Bruce hadn't been this cold to anyone in a long time and Terry for one didn't miss it.

They just stared at each other for a bit until Dick broke the stalemate. "Okay, I give – What are you doing here?" he already sounded pissed and so Terry decided to go for broke. He hadn't known how to phrase what he wanted to say to the other man, but now that he didn't have to worry about ticking him off – he could just say what was on his mind and bother the niceties.

"I came to say something to you. To tell you that if you keep going the way you are, you're going to regret it." Dick blinked; looking so much like Bruce when he was shocked that Terry had to choke back the laugh that threatened.

Dick's face began to darken in anger and he opened his mouth but Terry jumped in and continued before he could get a word out, "Seriously Grayson, you need to do some major thinking. You've already lost one father to a sudden and gruesome death when you were young along with your mother, and then Bruce took you in. He gave you a home, cared for you and gave you a means to avenge your parents' murder." Dick again made as if to say something but Terry cut him off rudely with a sharp hand gesture.

"Yes. I know – he's a controlling bastard that doesn't know when to let up on a good day, but he's your adoptive father and his health is failing. You have a chance here that you didn't have with your blood father – or that I did with mine – a chance to make peace, for yourself – not for him and a chance to say goodbye. If you think about it, really stand back and think, you know who will be the one suffering if you don't, and I'll give you a clue – dead men have no regrets."

Dick wasn't about to be denied his say again. Incensed he burst out. " _Who_ do you think you are punk? Telling me what _I'm_ going to feel – " Terry cut him off again.

"Who am I? _I'm_ a son who left one night after a fight with my father and came back the next morning to find him a bloody pulped mess. A son with no chance of fixing the horrible and hurtful things that he said and didn't mean, because his father was murdered. Just like yours, I know, but at least your father was taken when your relationship was still innocent." Stopping briefly to fight down the lump that had risen in his throat, Terry calmed himself down before continuing in a slightly less vehement voice.

"You know something? Bruce is also your father – whether you like it or not – and that's not going to go away, no matter how hard you ignore him. He's a man who never really knew how to show how he cared, but don't make the mistake of thinking that he doesn't because he does, very much. Bruce also is a very old man now, one whose health is really beginning to deteriorate and ironically enough – for a person always being accused of being heartless; it's his heart that's currently giving him so much trouble." Terry sighed and said reflectively, "A person we know once said 'Sometimes the important things go unsaid, if there's one thing I've learned – you've got to appreciate the people in your life while you have the chance.' I think that's one of the wisest things that I have ever heard. What about you?"

His unexpectedly long-winded rant came to an end and Terry found that he didn't have anything else to say. He just thought with some astonishment – 'Whoa, that came from out of the blue.' He also really didn't want to stick around now, just in case Dick decided to show his displeasure with the mouthy little upstart physically. So he left. Without saying another word. Just opened his wings and fired his jet boots to fly up to the waiting Batmobile.

He really hoped that Dick had at least heard some of what he had said word-wise, and not registered just the tone. He winced inwardly, 'maybe I should take some courses in public relations because that really could have been handled better.' It could go either way now, Terry could only hope for the best. He really wanted to see Bruce and Dick mend things, for their own sakes.

 _Dick Grayson's Condo,  
Bludhaven  
12:53 a.m._

Dick stood on his balcony and just stared after the fading orangey-red glow of the Batmobile's afterburner. He couldn't believe the kid who played at being Batman nowadays had the nerve to just come to his home at this time of night, nonchalantly knock (albeit on his penthouse patio door) like he was just visiting a friend and lecture him! Just who did he think he was? He had no idea of the history involved here. 'Bruce put him up to it, he must've.' There was no other reason for the kid to have come out here on his own – or was there?

'Rude little smart mouthed brat!' Dick recalled how he hadn't been able to get a word in edgewise and every time he had tried he'd gotten summarily cut off. 'That speech of his had been pretty impassioned though,' Dick thought as he struggled to recall the words the kid had said. 'Damn, I used to be a much better listener, even when I was ticked off.' He did remember most of what the kid had said, he hadn't slipped that far, and winced as in recollection he caught what the kid had been through. He bet that what he had mentioned was only the barest of bones to the case too; that there were whole other layers the kid hadn't even bothered to reveal. The other thing that really stood out was how Bruce's health was failing. Could that be true? Dick hadn't really thought of how old his foster father was getting – he ignored his own birthdays, so why would he pay attention to anybody else's?

He abruptly spun on his heel after glancing at his watch, it wasn't that late – not for certain people that he knew. He knew that Barbara was bound to still be up and he wanted to talk to someone who knew – well, everything. She wasn't likely to lie or sugarcoat things either, not to him at any rate – and hopefully he could get all the facts.

Dick dialed the familiar number swiftly when he reached the vidscreen in his living room and wasn't surprised when Barbara picked up on the first ring. Looking at the face of one of his oldest friends he saw something in her eyes that told him that she knew why he was calling. He also saw for the first time how old she looked in comparison to his memories of the times that they had ran the rooftops together, which is how he saw her in his mind's eye, even with the meetings they had over the years in between then and now.

"What's happening short-pants?" she asked.

Dick grimaced at the old hated nickname before he answered her, "Somehow, I think that you already know the answer to that question Babs, my dear girl. I wanted to talk to you about the flying black rodent visitor that I just had."

"Oh, I had hoped that he might go and talk to you." Barbara said calmly.

"So it _was_ you that sicced him on me!" Dick said indignantly.

"Well, you weren't answering Bruce, and you weren't listening to either Tim or me... I thought that Terry might have a better chance of getting through your thick skull. Especially since the kid has managed to break Bruce down into something resembling a human being." Barb retorted with a hint of her old fire.

"He what? Bruce – human? What are you talking about woman?" Dick could feel a headache coming on. Everything had been going just fine, he'd been content and now it looked like he was going to have to drag all the mud back up to the surface. "Babs, tell me – how is Bruce? That black-suited mouthpiece said something about the old man's health failing – his heart specifically, is it true?"

"Yes Dick, it's true enough. We just brought him home again after his third heart attack now. The next one he has just might be the one to kill him." Her voice was somber. "What is it that's stopping you, Dick, from coming home?"

"Babs, you know it's not that simple – " Dick started out of habit but Barbara cut him off, out of impatience for the old song and dance.

"No Dick, it _is_ that simple. You're the one who is making things more difficult than they have to be." She took a breath, closed her eyes and then opened them again and said in a much softer voice, "I think that I have an idea of what Terry said to you – all I ask is for you to think about it. The kid has a surprisingly wise head on his shoulders for one so young, even if he does fall into most of his wisdom backwards." She smiled wryly, obviously remembering some things brought to mind by the last thing that she said.

Dick stared at her, his curiosity spiraling higher about this Terry guy. Barbara wasn't normally one to wax nostalgic, not even about their glory days in costume. He had to ask, "What? Why are you smiling like that? What is it about this 'Terry' that has the old man and now you all nicey-nice?"

Barbara laughed at his tone; she recognized it from the days of old. Dick had his nose caught in a mystery and she had a feeling that he didn't realize that he was ensnared yet. "Tim too," she added and waited. He didn't disappoint her.

"Tim? How – after – does this 'Terry' stick his nose, unwanted, into _everyone's_ business?" He burst out, angry that Tim had been dragged back into a world that he had been more than grateful to leave by the end.

"Now hold on, you haven't been here and so there are a few things that you've missed out on. Don't go jumping to conclusions at this late stage of the game short-pants!" Dick could tell that Barbara was loosing patience with him as she fell back into using that hated nickname for him. He ran an agitated hand through his too long, salt and pepper hair.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Help me out then, tell me a few things about the kid?" His blue eyes twinkled as his lips turned up in the old lopsided and cocky Robin grin. It was the opening that Barbara had been waiting for – the chance to whet his appetite. She figured that if she couldn't get him to come home because Bruce was sick, she could at least get Dick curious enough that he would come home because he wanted to meet Terry. To confirm for himself all that she was going to tell him about the boy.

"Sure, that I can do Dick." She said warmly but then floundered. She didn't know where to start. Terry was a complicated individual and there was a lot that she didn't find out until after the fact. Her knowledge had been helped along by the fact that Terry seemed to attract trouble in some way or another and her aid had been needed to untangle him from some of it too, but that really wasn't something that she wanted to tell Dick right off.

Dick, seeing her dilemma helped her out by prompting, "You said that you thought you knew what he had said to me – you know his story?" Barbara's face cleared and her eyes were thankful.

"Yes, yes I do. Terry's Dad – Warren McGinnis – worked with a friend of his, Harry Tully at Wayne-Powers when Derek Powers was still the CEO. Harry stumbled onto the fact that Powers was making nerve gas, which Powers responded to by arranging for a little gas leak in Harry's lab. I guess Powers figured that it took care of two problems with one stone, Harry would be silenced and he got a human lab rat to use for a test run of the gas before he sold it to the eastern bloc. Unfortunately – or fortunately, depending on who you were – Harry had already contacted Warren, Terry's father, and passed on the evidence." Dick winced. He knew where this story was going.

"Powers sent his 'personal assistant' Mr. Fixx to take care of the new problem. He must have beaten Warren pretty much to death to try and get him to talk and then tossed the place looking for the evidence. And then to cover his tracks made it look like a robbery committed by a bunch of Jokerz."

Dick grimaced. That was a mess for sure, but Barbara wasn't done. She had some icing to add to the pile. "Ironically, Terry had left the house that night after having a fight with his father about not being control his temper and immediately gotten into a fight with a Jokerz gang."

"Oh good god. That _is_ some wicked irony."

"Yeah well, that was the night that he met Bruce for the first time too." Dick perked up, this he wanted to hear. "Seems that the gang chased Terry right up to the gates of Wayne Manor when Bruce was out taking a late evening stroll. From what Bruce told me, Terry nearly killed himself when Bruce popped up in front of him out of the dark." Dick snickered. He could just see Bruce doing that, even now.

Barbara grinned, "Yeah, I know, he'll never change. Anyway – there was Terry, standing with his back to the gates ready to take on the whole bloody gang. Bruce said he didn't know whether to be impressed with the kid's guts – or to write him up as certifiable." Dick choked, that had sounded like a joke – from Bruce?

"I'm going to guess that Bruce didn't let the kid take the whole gang on, not while he was standing there." Dick ventured.

"No, you got that right." Barbara rolled her eyes. "Bruce did his barking orders from the darkness thing and appeared. Trouble was he's old and looks it so it didn't impress these kids much, which in turn pissed Bruce off." Ouch, Dick made a face. A ticked off Bruce was not a fun Bruce.

Barbara continued, "He and Terry have to be given the credit for one thing at least, legally they would never have been found at fault. They let the gang start swinging first, even if it ended up that none of the gang members were able to land one."

'Never able to land... with no training the kid had already been that good?' Dick was impressed. A thought struck him then. "I would have given anything to see the kid's face when Bruce started taking some of them down," he said with a wicked grin.

Barbara laughed again, "I believe the word that Bruce used to describe the expression on Terry's face afterwards was 'reverent'." Dick snorted and rolled his eyes – that was all Bruce needed – more fuel for his ego.

"Of course, it changed fairly quickly when Bruce's heart started to act up and he needed help to the manor. Went from awed to worried hen in about ten seconds flat." Dick nodded, that made sense. Kid might have been a scrapper, but sounded like his heart had been in the right place from the start. And that Bruce's had been giving him trouble for a lot longer than Dick had thought.

"Terry found the batcave that night, after he had gotten Bruce his medicine and the old man had fallen asleep on him."

Dick whistled, "Whoa, that was quick – " Barbara just shrugged – she just personally thought of it as the record to date. As far as she knew nobody else had stumbled onto the cave anywhere near that soon after being in the manor.

"When Bruce woke up and found out where the kid was, he unceremoniously kicked him out. Told him never to come back. Then of course when Terry got home that morning he found his father dead, apparently brutally murdered by Jokerz. He blamed himself - he thought that the group he and Bruce had trounced had found his dad and done it in revenge at first. It wasn't until after the funeral that he found out the truth, that was when he was moving his stuff in to his mom's house and he found the disk that was the real reason his Dad had gotten killed."

Dick knew what was coming, "He didn't trust the cops did he?" Barbara shook her head. "So he took it to Bruce because he figured that if anyone could do something it was Batman. Figures."

Barbara shook her head in the negative and corrected him in his assumption, "Not only because he was Batman, mostly because it was _Wayne_ -Powers that his dad had worked for. He thought Bruce could do something about his own company." Dick ohh'd in comprehension. "But Bruce told him to bring the disk to me, that he couldn't help him. Terry was bitterly on his way to just that when Powers ambushed him, Terry managed to get away but he lost the evidence – " Dick grimaced.

"Yeah, don't go feeling too sorry for the kid. Wait until you hear what he did next – he snuck into the manor under Bruce's nose and stole the new Batsuit." Dick's eyes felt like they were going to pop out of their sockets. And he thought the kid had nerve to come and talk to him like he had – turns out that little stunt had been nothing in the grand scheme of things.

"I'm guessing that Bruce wasn't too impressed." He understated purposefully.

Barbara snorted, "All I know is that by the end of the night, Terry had somehow managed to change Bruce's mind about his being allowed in the suit. I never did get all the details – and I am pretty sure I don't want them – but I have to admit, when I started working with Terry rather than against him things certainly started to get better."

Dick was confused, "What do you mean – worked against him? Why would you of all people do that?"

"I thought that the time for vigilantes was done. I really only just looked the other way at first, but then my husband was targeted once by the Society of Assassins and we ended up talking. He was a charming kid," she chuckled. "He got me talking about the old days in next to no time – it was pretty amazing." Dick nodded in agreement, that was pretty amazing – Barbara was not one to reminisce.

Barbara laughed suddenly, "You know even after I accepted him, I kept trying to talk him out of the suit for the longest time. I told him that it was a thankless existence, but he's stubborn like a mule just like someone else we know." Dick grinned. He thought that Terry sounded like a kindred spirit for a certain 'Bat' for sure. He didn't even clue in that Barbara might have meant him as well.

"I would tell him to take it from experience, that he couldn't keep living a life of narrow escapes forever and that the rewards were small if any. You want to know what his response was?" Dick nodded curious despite himself. "He said, 'Well, sometimes the small rewards are the best ones.'" The two old friends shared an understanding look. It was a sentiment that they understood all too well, and the reason they had had both fought alongside Bruce for so long.

"The only other time that we were at loggerheads was after the Society of Assassins thing a few months later. This time the kid ticked me off by ruining a sting I had been working on for a year. I know," she forestalled his logical comment before he could make it.

"I could have prevented that one simply by working with the kid from the start, but I still didn't want to have him officially involved in police business. Someone decided to take advantage of my anger with Batman from that botched sting and manipulated me into thinking that I saw him kill." Dick swore. Barbara must have really doubted the kid early on because Batman didn't kill. Ever.

"Yeah, well, we managed to get it all straightened out after I had the kid cornered at the old Majestic. Bruce figured out that it was this guy who called himself Spellbinder who had made me see the unthinkable. He tried to tell me, but I have to admit I wasn't listening to him. I was too mad."

"Unthinkable is right, there is no way that Bruce would have taken the kid on if he had the aptitude for that kind of behavior, not after Jean-Paul – and you know that Barb." Dick said, his eyes narrow.

"You would think, but you haven't come into contact with Billings – Spellbinder – yet. The man creates illusions so real that you can smell and taste them as well as hear and see. At any rate, when Bruce couldn't get through to me, he told the kid what to look for. Terry then very skillfully set me and Spellbinder – who was hiding behind me at the time – up. He made motions like he was surrendering and then fired a batarang directly for Spellbinder's globe, knowing that I would be able to duck. Then after I had hunted him and harassed him, in both his lives, he still protected me when Spellbinder went to take me out." Dick nodded, he personally couldn't see how Terry could have acted any different and still be able to face wearing the suit. Except that Terry hadn't grown up in Batman's house, with his sense of honour being drummed into him – he'd come to the mantle when he was very nearly an adult. It would have been very easy for him to let any resentment he had make him just hang back and let the police deal with the man, even if they didn't get there in time.

"You know something, I think it was something that Spellbinder said combined with how Terry acted after it was all done that really got me starting to respect the kid in the long run." Barbara said quietly, almost as if she were speaking more to herself.

"What's that?" Dick prompted when it looked like she was drifting off into her memories. Called back, her green eyes met his blue,

"Oh, well Billings taunted me by saying I was so ready to believe the worst that it was easy for him to convince me that I had seen Batman kill – and then when I apologized to Terry, saying I blew it – he just shrugged it off. Told me with a smile that he'd 'been there' and flew away."

"Classy."

"You got that right. So now I owed him and after sending cops around to his house to bring him in for questioning, I knew in part how to pay him back." Dick cocked an eyebrow. "I called his mother personally and told her that I just wanted to talk to Terry about wanting to award him with a student service medal. Put him in schway-ville with his mom I was told."

"I bet it did." Dick chuckled. "You know, in some ways this doesn't sound like the kid that showed up here tonight, but in others – I can certainly see it."

"Well, that's probably in part because most of what I have been telling you about is from almost ten years ago Dick. The _kid,_ that we keep referring tois twenty-seven now and – I might add – has been running Wayne Industries single-handedly for the last two years, with the help of a friend of his at times. He's done a pretty good job too, even if it has been under protest for most of that time. Bruce has been up to some of his old tricks – he is bound and determined to show Terry that he can run the company because he wants to leave it to him when he goes. Only problem is that Terry doesn't want it." Dick looked skeptical; he didn't think that anyone would refuse billions offered to him or her on a platter.

"Are you sure he's not just playing coy Barb?"

Barbara laughed. "Oh Lord Dick, you really have to come home and actually _meet_ Terry because if you knew him at all there is no way that you would have asked me that question. Terry wouldn't know how to do coy if it bit him in the butt." Dick couldn't help it, he laughed. But he still felt a tiny niggle of worry.

Barbara could see everything that he was thinking in his eyes. 'Yes,' she stifled the exultant cry that wanted to escape. He was caught – hook, line and sinker. Time for the last tidbit, "This weekend Dick would be the perfect time for you to drop in – it's Bruce's turn to host the 'Family' dinner and we'll all be there."

Dick's head shot up, "Family dinner? Host? Bruce has people at the manor without Alfred to serve as a buffer? You do mean at the manor, right? Many people – strange ones – kids even?"

"Oh, I guess that was one of the many things that you have missed because you weren't accepting calls from Bruce or listening to Tim and I." She couldn't resist the barb. "About six – seven years ago Terry arranged these monthly gatherings. What he calls to those of us 'in-the-know', the extended 'bat'-family dinners." Dick snorted; the kid had an odd sense of humour that was for sure. Almost as odd as his own.

"So who all is part of this extended 'bat'-family?" he asked.

Barbara sat back and started ticking off on her fingers, "Well, let's see... Bruce – Me and Sam, Tim and his family – his wife Mandy and their two kids, Rick and Jan – then there's Terry, his mother, Mary, and brother, Matt and then there's Terry's fiancée, Dana and Terry's best friend, Max. That's the lot of us, oh and you of course, if you ever bother to show."

Dick was counting in his head as she was listing them off, "Jeez, that's a lot of people. Good thing Bruce has that huge dining room table or we wouldn't all fit."

Barbara smiled to hear him include himself unconsciously, "I don't think that you understood me Dick – I said it's Bruce's turn to _host_ , which means it's not always at the manor. All the little sub-families take their turns to play host, but I think that you could get away with being included in Bruce's turn if you wanted to join us on a regular basis." Dick breathed a sigh of relief, his apartment was comfortable, but not all that big.

Absently he made all the right noises as Barbara said goodbye and hung up. Hearing the kid's story had lessened a lot of the antagonism he had been feeling for the person inside the suit allowing Dick to think of the other things that Barbara had said a little more clearly. Obviously in his habitual stubbornness in refusing to talk to his adoptive father he had missed a lot more than he thought – especially if Terry was running Wayne Enterprises like Barbara had said. Dick couldn't bring himself to believe that someone wouldn't want Bruce's company, not when they were already running it. He completely ignored the fact that as Bruce's son and heir, he had never wanted the company either.

Another thing that had been bothering him for the entire conversation was Bruce's health. 'Both Terry and Barb said that Bruce wasn't in the best of health,' he mused. It was funny, but for some strange reason Dick had always thought of Bruce as immortal. There had been something about the man that he had lived with and fought beside for so many years that had felt larger than life. Looking back over the many arguments over the years, Dick now saw something with clarity that only comes with age and experience. He had built Bruce up into more than a man with faults and failings like everyone else - he had expected perfection from his guardian and not surprisingly been disappointed when Bruce had shown his flaws.

He had always accused Bruce of being the stubborn one, but it looked like some of the mule had rubbed off. 'Maybe, just maybe – it's time.' This 'family dinner' that Barbara mentioned might be the best time for Bruce and I to meet again, to salvage any relationship we have left with the other people there to act as a buffer for both of us. Also, he wouldn't mind seeing Tim again and meeting his family or seeing Barbara and Sam in a more relaxed setting than he usually met them in when their paths crossed due to their careers.

Dick grinned to himself, he had decided. He was going to the dinner – now he just hoped that they made enough food for an extra, because he didn't intend to call ahead.

\- tbc -


	3. Chapter 3

_Wayne Manor, Gotham  
The following Saturday  
6:43 p.m._

Arriving at the manor much later than he had intended, Dick cursed. He had hoped to make a better impression than this, but he had gotten tied up in traffic. There were only two other cars in the drive and Dick recognized one of them as Barbara's unmarked police cruiser. He began to wonder if he really was as late as he thought as he let himself into the manor. He was corrected quickly enough as the door opened, and he heard the sheer volume coming from the dining room. He knew that amount of sound couldn't be generated by less than a dozen people, but they all quieted quickly enough as a large black barking missile launched itself from the dining room to hurtle towards Dick's midsection.

'Seems that Bruce has gone retro for at least one of his alarms lately' Dick thought in surprise as a still strong voice called, "Ace! Heel!" Amazingly enough, the large dog managed to curb its attack in mid-lunge, it then turned and trotted tamely back into the dining room. Dick followed it, case in hand, still feeling a bit stunned to find that one – Bruce had a dog, and two – Bruce really was hosting a dinner party type thing without Alfred to hide behind. When he reached the door of the dining room seconds later, he received a third shock – Bruce was sitting in the middle of the informal setting and smiling.

Ace's unexpected charge and his subsequent entrance had silenced the conversation, and now the silence around the table began to feel strained as he stood in the doorway, not knowing what to do. A tall, dark haired young man stood up and walked up to Dick, he gave the older man a small smile of welcome and then ushered him to the empty seat near Bruce taking his case as he seated him. 'This must be Terry,' Dick thought as he watched the young man then proceed to set another place before going and taking his own seat again.

"Listen up everybody," Terry announced, drawing all attention to him, "our new guest is Dick Grayson, Bruce's son. And in order around the table is – Sam, Barb, Tim, Mandy, my Mom – er, Mary, Rick, Matt, Jan, Max, my fiancée Dana, and I am Terry." He threw Dick another smile; this one was a bit more devilish though, as he turned back to the table and said something that Dick didn't quite catch because as soon as Terry started to speak, the table erupted. It was obviously a favorite, if loud, subject for debate with this crowd.

It also had the added bonus of distracting everyone's attention away from Dick's arrival, allowing him some time to adjust to this noisy bunch he had found himself in. Somehow Dick thought that had been Terry's intention and was thankful to the younger man. Dick soon noticed that Bruce wasn't participating in the discussion either and looked over at him to find that the old man was looking his way already. It felt almost like they were the only two people there, the loud conversation going on around them acting very effectively like some kind of low-grade privacy bubble. Low-grade only because Dick was very aware of Barbara, Tim and Terry glancing his and Bruce's way every so often.

Bruce leaned towards him a bit and said softly, "Welcome home Dick. I've missed you, and – I'm sorry." Simply that, no justifications, no shifting blame – just 'Welcome home Dick. I've missed you, and I'm sorry.' Then he sat back again and Dick could see the sheen of unshed tears in his eyes.

Dick could feel the moisture gathering in his own eyes, if this openness from Bruce was even partly because of Terry – he had a lot to thank the kid for, he had somehow made Bruce act human. Inclining his own body towards Bruce Dick said, "Bruce – Dad, I'm sorry too and very glad to _be_ home." He reached over and gently squeezed the gnarled fingers of the hand Bruce had resting on the tabletop affectionately.

Bruce smiled. Then he bowed his head in the old sign from the streets that used to mean 'shall we enter the fray?' indicating the increasingly heated 'discussion' around them. Dick grinned his old Robin style acceptance of 'let's!' and both of them jumped headlong into the raging debate.

'Dinner had never been so much fun,' Dick thought with a grin all to himself.

 _Wayne Manor, Gotham  
Saturday evening  
7:33 p.m._

The kids, Mary, and Mandy all went to the games room that Bruce had put in after his first time playing host for the family after dinner, and the rest of the adults moved their discussion into the study. Dick was enthralled as he watched how everyone in the room interacted. For such a diverse group in ages and interests it was a surprisingly seamless group, with no jarring notes in evidence.

Dana and Terry were cuddled together in one of the huge wingback chairs, not really paying attention to what was going on in the room at large unless one of them was addressed directly. Sam and Barbara were a bit more sedate in their cuddling than the younger couple, but essentially the same on one side of the room's one couch. Except they were paying attention to the majority of the conversation going on around them and adding to it frequently.

Tim had taken the far end of the couch, and was quietly enjoying the debate flowing around him, injecting every so often to direct the flow. Max, Terry's best friend, was perched on the edge of the desk Bruce sat behind and along with Bruce, Barbara and Sam was carrying the discussion. He had learned since he arrived that she was the one that Barbara had referred to as the friend that helped Terry to run Wayne Enterprises, and he could see why he had asked her for her help. She was incredibly intelligent and her energy levels were off the charts. He got tired just watching her.

Too soon, Barbara and Sam got up to leave. They couldn't stay as late as they normally did due to some kind of backlog of cases that Sam had pending. Terry moved Dana off his lap and got up to escort them to the door. When he came back he didn't sit down again and Dana was leaning up against the door to the hall. Dick wondered at their strange positioning until Terry easily said, "So who is going to be playing oracle for me tonight – 'the old bat', 'the old bird' or 'the nosey pest'?"

Dick choked on his coffee. He did _not_ just hear what he thought he heard. Terry didn't – but looking around the room Dick saw that he had. Well, that was one question he had now answered. He guessed that Dana was playing lookout at the door because the rest of the people still in the house were not 'bat' savvy. He couldn't believe how free and easy everyone in the room seemed to be with the topic either – especially Bruce who had never been this open about anything before, particularly his alter-ego. He also couldn't believe the nicknames that Terry had used, calling Bruce 'the old bat', oh my.

His audible attempt to drink his coffee with the wrong pipe must have drawn Terry's attention, because the young man turned to Dick and asked, "Or do you want to give it a go?"

"You would trust me?" Dick was surprised.

Terry frowned at him; "Sure, why wouldn't I? Bruce trained you, just like he trained the rest of us lunkheads. You were the first Robin and then you were Nightwing right?" Dick nodded and Terry continued with a grin, "So where's the problem?"

Dick glanced around the room; he wanted to see how everyone was reacting to Terry's invitation and following speech. To his amazement, most were smiling – a couple like Max and Tim, were even trying to stifle laughter. Good naturedly he shrugged, "Okay, I get it – there's no problem, but I have a better idea. Instead of me going it alone right away, how about I sit in with someone else tonight and watch. Get the lay of the land so to speak."

Terry grinned as Bruce said dryly, "That sounds eminently more sensible than anything the rest of you lot tends to come out with so I think that I will be oracle tonight and Dick can sit with me."

Tim glanced at the double use clock and saw the time. "Well, it's a good thing that we got out of the way now then, its nine – time to head out for us regular folks." He got pelted with many loose throw cushions from the room at large for his regular folks comment. Dick saw with amazement that Bruce had thrown one of the cushions that hit Tim – this new lighter side of the old man was going to take some getting used to that was for sure.

Laughing, Terry said in Bruce and Dick's direction, "I'll go out at ten. I have to take my mom and brother home as well as Dana and Max." 'Well that explained the lack of cars out front,' Dick thought as Tim offered to take Mary and Matt home. Terry smilingly declined, saying that he would just toss the lot of them into the limo and take them home in style.

Max just quipped as she left the room, "Putting up with you Ter all these years, don't you think we deserve some perks?" The others still in the room laughed as Terry threw a pillow at her but missed when she ducked adroitly out door before it could connect.

General chaos ensued for about five minutes as the manor emptied out and then the silence in the house seemed almost deafening in comparison. Bruce stood up walked to the clock, "Come on Dick, let's go down to the cave – it's too quiet here after everyone leaves." Dick got up and followed his father down the well-known steps to the very different cave at the bottom.

"Been doing some redecorating I see." He said looking around curiously. His eyes lingered for a time on his old Nightwing costume displayed prominently between the newest incarnation of the Batman suit and Barbara's old Batgirl suit. Dick mused, 'even with all the changes that had been made since he had been gone, the cave still felt oddly homey to him.' It was a strange feeling, but good.

He says as much to Bruce and is shocked when Bruce chuckled aloud. "I felt much the same way when I played oracle to Terry for the first time – well the first time willingly." The older man owned.

"Barb mentioned to me that Terry actually stole the suit the first time that he wore it." Dick said. "What she didn't know was what made you change your mind to let him keep wearing it and offer him the job?"

Bruce smiled. He had been waiting for Dick to come and challenge him on Terry's being Batman for a long time, but this companionable sharing was even better. "I made a sort of 'highlights reel' from a combination of sources – here is the first night that I met Terry..."

Bruce put on a recording that was obviously lifted from police traffic cameras due to its grainy composition and poor colour, but the subject matter was still straightforward enough. It was clearly a much younger Terry taking care of four Jokerz outside of a juice bar in short order.

"Good moves." Dick said. Bruce grunted in assent.

Then the recording followed over several cameras as the young Terry had to flee on a 'borrowed' bike when more of the clowns started to swarm. The younger version of Terry did some very skillful driving with the bike, including one very brave or foolhardy stunt before he was lost from the camera's sight on the manor's road. There were a few flickers and then the picture quality sharpened and Dick knew that he was watching footage from Bruce's security system. He saw as Terry wiped out at the Manor's front gates and the Jokerz swarm gathered for the kill. Then he watched as Bruce made himself known to the gathering. The following fight was – as Barbara had told him – impressive.

"Nice moves, from both of you." Dick said, purposefully understating. Bruce just shot him a look. Dick grinned – he still had it. Nobody could annoy Bruce faster than he could.

He turned his attention back to the screen and watched some brief clips strung together into a form of montage – Terry helping the ailing Bruce to the house and getting him his medication – Terry trying to leave and being stopped by a vicious looking Ace – Terry in the study making a phone call, then seeing a trapped bat in the clock and going over to help it, finding the cave in the process.

"Man, it was like fate." Dick said and Bruce agreed while he cued up the second 'reel'. At first Dick didn't know what it was that he was being shown, but this version had sound and so he clued in fairly quickly. It was Terry's first time in the Batsuit and for a kid with no training or explanations on how to use it; he certainly figured it out fast. He even managed to become proficient enough in his short time using it to develop a real sense of style. That 'Just in time for fall,' crack was priceless, Dick himself couldn't have come up with anything better. The two men watched as highlighted parts from the night played out, making comments to each other quietly here and there, but really just relishing the time spent together in understanding.

When the screen went dark after the hovercraft sunk, Dick turned to his father and simply said, "I understand," and they shared a smile. "But now, you realize, that I want to know everything!" Dick said and Bruce laughed.

"We've certainly got a lot of catching up to do Dick, and I don't think that we are going to have near enough time in this one night." He said dryly.

Dick just grinned and said cheekily, "But we could get a good head start at least-" Bruce was saved from having to answer as Terry burst in, obviously out of breath. Bruce didn't even bat an eye at the younger man's precipitous entrance, but Dick was startled. He had been so engrossed in watching Terry's inception as Batman that he had totally lost track of time.

He received a second shock when from bedside him he heard Bruce snarl in the old way, "You're late McGinnis!" Dick's head shot around to see Bruce's face and contrary to the voice, the old man's face was smiling. He finally clued in that it was some sort of inside joke when Terry snippily replied as he ducked back into the changing area,

"Oh, give it up already old man, I made it didn't I?"

Bruce leaned back and indicated the time to Dick – 10:40pm – "Welcome to 'Terry-time' Dick, you see when Terry says he's going to be anywhere at a set time, don't count on him to be there until at least half an hour later." His smile invited Dick to share in the joke, "I swear for the first two years that Terry wore the 'suit' I bellowed those exact words to him every time that he entered the cave." Dick obligingly laughed; he knew how Terry's continually being late like that must have driven Bruce right around the bend at first. It was good to see that it didn't bother him so much anymore. Dick guessed that it might have been one of the first things to contribute to this new, more relaxed and easier to get along with Bruce.

"So, back to what we were talking about before we were so rudely interrupted..." Dick started to say as Terry emerged from the changing area clad in the Batsuit but carrying the cowl. Dick wanted to roll his eyes; McGinnis had some sense of timing! He watched as the newest incarnation of Gotham's legendary Batman jogged over to the Batmobile and hopped in with a smooth, effortless looking, athletic leap.

"Any particular hot spots I should be watching tonight?" Terry asked popping his head up one last time before he took off.

Bruce just shook his head, "No, just standard patrols is all for now. I'll let you know if something comes up."

Terry nodded and dropped back into the sleek black craft vanishing from their sight. The hatch closed and after a smooth hovering 180-degree turn, rocketed out of the cave.

"Cool." Dick breathed. "Wish we had toys like that when we were doing this." He muttered. Bruce just raised an eyebrow at him and Dick blushed. "What? You know the saying – 'Boys and their toys' and I'm no exception. Don't even try to say you aren't either – I know better."

Now Bruce laughed. That sounded like the Dick of old before things started to go sour. "You should have heard Terry when I let him drive it for the first time," Bruce said. "I believe the words he used were – 'This is _un-bear-ably_ cool!' and ' _Whoohooo_!'"

"Sounds about right." Dick agreed with a smirk.

Bruce made a face at him, and then started to elaborate, "It was his first real case as Batman. We ran into this corporate saboteur named Inque – the result of a mutagenic experiment – and she really freaked Terry out. After his first real run in with her he came storming back into the cave yelling at me. Wanted to know what the hell I had sent him into and that I should've warned him." Dick boggled at Terry's audacity.

"Let me get this straight, this seventeen year old kid that was working for you as _Batman,_ yelled at you when he had just barely started?" Dick wanted clarification.

"Yep, he didn't stop there either." Dick made a rolling motion with his hand as if to say, 'Well? Keep going.' Bruce continued, "He told me that I might be used to dealing with freaks and monsters, but that he was still new at it. He wanted to know what everything was in the cave. I said something like 'Way before your time,' and then told him that he had to start thinking on his feet."

Oooh, zing! Terry might have had the guts to yell at Bruce, but the old man put him in his place.

"It was after that that I gave him the new Batmobile for the first time – seeing as he'd got his butt kicked so bad before that."

"Hey! I heard that – " Terry's disembodied voice interjected. Bruce ignored him.

"To make a long story short, Inque ended up targeting us instead of Foxtecha – her original target – and managed to get into the cave. We trounced her using Freeze's old cold gun and after she was 'Inque-icles' all over the floor, Terry turned to me and said, 'That's it - you're showing me everything!'"

"Hey listen – " Terry's voice broke in over the com-link again, "if the two of you are going to natter like a couple of old hens all night, at least do me the courtesy of muting your end of the com wouldja – my ears are burning here."

"What's the matter McGinnis – we embarrassing you?" Bruce rallied back.

"Nah," came the flip answer. "Not really, mainly you're distracting me. I don't know whether I should listen to the two of you or look for criminals." Both men in the cave laughed. "So – what's it to be guys? The crooks, or my ego?" Terry cheekily asked.

"The crooks you peacock." Bruce said with a smile as he muted the caves end of the com-link.

"Has he always been like that?" Dick asked his father, still trying to get over the easy rapport Terry seemed to have with Bruce of all people.

"He used to be worse," came the amused reply from the older man.

"You're kidding me!" Dick's incredulous statement seemed to serve as a prod.

Bruce said, "The second time that I met Terry was when he came to me for help. Barbara told you some of this I think?" Dick nodded but motioned for Bruce to continue. It was always better to hear a story firsthand after all.

"Well, he wanted me to look at a disk of his father's. He said that he thought that there was something rotten in my company. I wasn't going to let him in, but then he said something to change my mind. He said that he should have known that I wouldn't care, that I was no Batman – just a whacked out old fraud."

Dick winced, 'ooh damn.' "That was harsh," was all he said though. Inwardly he was more than a little impressed. Terry had certainly spoken his mind – no matter who he'd been speaking to, even as a teenager. A lot of people wouldn't have been able to talk to Bruce Wayne that way, let alone Batman. Terry had known he was talking to both; in fact he had been counting on it. It had taken Dick a long time how to learn how to do that and in some ways he was still learning.

Dick's brooding was interrupted when a light started to flash on the lower corner of the Cray's screen. Bruce leaned forward and flipped the com-link on again, "Terry, there's a break in at Vid-City Electronics."

"Late night shoppers again?" Terry asked lightly, and then said simply, "I'm on it."

Dick wanted to keep to the lighter tone, so he prompted, "So Bruce, Barb was telling me about the time that you and Terry first met amidst all those Jokerz, she said that after they had turned tail and run that you said his face could have been called reverent."

Bruce sat back with a slight smile, forgetting to mute their end of the com-link again. "Reverent works, but so does stunned, amazed, awed – "

Terry broke in, "Flabbergasted, disbelieving, incredulous – " he sassed.

"Stupefied." Bruce added to the end of Terry's list and Dick laughed. A rude raspberry sound came from the com-link letting them know what Terry thought of Bruce's addition, which only had the effect of making them laugh harder. Dick was beginning to wonder why he had stayed away for so long as Bruce again muted their end.

The rest of the night passed fairly quietly for Terry as it seemed to be a slow night for Batman, but then around three in the morning, just as Terry was making his last sweep of the city, another alarm was tripped. This time for Gotham's First National Bank, Bruce leaned in and began to call up the surveillance cameras wanting to warn Terry what he was going up against.

"Terry, it's Jokerz. I can't see much more than that though, they've disabled a lot of the interior cameras."

"Wonderful," Terry's voice was sarcastic. "I hate fighting indoors – the cops already on their way?" he asked.

"Yes, they've been notified but it's the middle of shift change so it could be a while. Keep your vid-link open Terry –" All of a sudden half the screen was taken up with a bird's eye view of the bank, except it was tinted red. Terry had turned the vid-link on.

"Okay old man, I know the drill – stop fretting. It's time for me to get in on the action." With that said his arms reached up and pulled the quick release levers and then Terry was flying. When he landed in the bank the Jokerz didn't seem to see him and Terry was able to take stock. Dick and Bruce were able to as well.

"Damn Bruce, there's got to be almost forty of those clowns – he's gonna get slaughtered!" Dick burst out.

Bruce just smiled slightly and said, "Not likely, just watch. Terry can handle that lot without much challenge. I think that you'll enjoy the demonstration."

Dick's eyebrows rose to meet his hairline, but he obediently turned back to look at the screen. He watched as Terry turned off the suit's camouflage and called out, drawing all attention in the bank to himself.

There were cries of "It's the Batfreak!" and "Get 'im!" Followed by a rush of Jokerz that were brandishing their weapons. Terry simply fired off some well-aimed batarangs from his wrist launchers, disarming them in seconds. Then he simply ignited his boot rockets and swept the rushing gang members off their feet and into the back wall where they laid still after impact.

A quick headcount and Terry muttered over the link, "Twelve down – twenty eight or so to go." He spun in the air and landed on his feet near a group of about five. That is when the real show began, Terry didn't look so much like he was fighting as much as he was doing some sort of combination between dancing and high-energy tumbling – except that it's effectiveness was being proven by the Jokerz falling like ninepins. It was a style very similar to the one that Dick himself had employed when he was still flying the rooftops actually, and he could now understand Bruce's cryptic comment about enjoying the demonstration. It was certainly intriguing to watch, even from a critical viewpoint. Dick had rarely seen footage of himself in action, but he had a feeling that even in his prime he wouldn't have compared. He'd have come close though.

Terry had gotten all of the Jokerz down and secured for the most part in under five minutes, now all he had left were two of the more wily and skilled gang members to deal with. They had been playing possum from the time Terry had swept house. They had ambushed Batman after he had taken out all the others, gotten in a few good hits before he had been able to shake them off. Now Terry was keeping his distance and analyzing their movements. Part of the reason they were giving Terry so much trouble, Dick noted, was because they were actually working with each other. Not something these types were known for doing.

Terry was already moving by the time Dick saw the weakness in the pattern; he darted in and with a single kick knocked one into the other. Bolo fired and they were taken care of, making the two old men back in the cave relax. Terry moved through the room securing all the fallen clowns so that none could escape when they woke. Then just as the faint sound of the sirens could be heard approaching in the distance he fired his jet boots and streaked up to the hovering Batmobile.

When he was secured and moving, he tapped the com-link. "Bruce, I'm coming in – get the suture kit out would ya? One of those last two pricks that jumped me had a toe knife that I missed." His voice was steady and he didn't sound shocky at all so neither man was overly worried.

Bruce opened a line briefly to say, "Sure Terry, we'll see you soon." Then he closed it again as he started to get up from his chair.

Dick pressed him back gently. "Same place?" he asked with a half smile. He already knew the answer. Bruce was nothing if not compulsive and obsessive about some things.

Bruce nodded in the affirmative. He knew that Dick only had asked as a polite gesture, he only ever added to the cave – never changed anything that had already been there. Dick knew what he was doing and Terry would be better off having younger hands than his doing the work.

Dick's voice floated across the cave from the medical area, "Hey – how could Terry take down so many so fast Bruce? I mean, that was just unreal and he's smaller than both of us were at our peaks."

Bruce raised his voice a bit so that he would be sure that he would be heard, "It's the new Batsuit Dick. It magnifies the wearer's strength by approximately tenfold with a few other perks built in."

"Nice. I could've really used something like that when I was cleaning up Bludhaven." Came the covetous reply.

Bruce smirked. "Don't discount Terry's athletic skills, Dick. He's just as accomplished in acrobatics, gymnastics and several forms of the martial arts as you and I were. As you saw in those 'highlight reels', he already had a great deal of proficiency in all of those before he put on the suit for the first time. He even had a basic skill set as an aerialist too and since he's become Batman, he's trained himself even further in everything except the aerials to the point that you saw there with the Jokerz. The suit just gives him that much more of an edge nowadays."

"Yeah, I guess so – he's pretty good isn't he?" Dick's tone was a bit sour.

Bruce chuckled quietly so that it wouldn't carry in the echoing confines of the cave, he could hear the unconscious jealousy building in his son's voice. "Oh, he has other talents too. He can make anything on two wheels dance and his driving of the Batmobile could at times be considered masterful he's so in tune with the car –"

Dick burst out exasperated, "Jeez, between you and Barb - does he have any weaknesses or faults?"

Bruce was surprised by the mention of Barbara but played out the joke anyway. He rolled his eyes and said, "Lord Dick, we don't really want to be down here for the rest of the year do we? You already know about 'Terry-time' and his mouth's tendency to open and speak without a great deal of thought backing it up -" Finally, Bruce could see when the realization occurred and Dick caught on that Bruce had been teasing him.

Laughing and shaking his head ruefully, Dick said, "Bruce you had me going there – who knew I could still get so stupidly jealous?"

Saved from having to answer such a dangerous rhetorical question by the incoming Batmobile, Bruce just shook his head. Some things never changed.

 _Wayne Manor, Gotham  
One Month and day later  
2:47 p.m._

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon in the early days of summer and normally at least part of the group gathered in the library of the old mansion would have been taking advantage of the weather to hang out at the nearest beach. In fact, that is where the majority of their families were already, but they had some business to take care of before they could join them.

The 'Bat'-family had been gathered because Bruce was changing his Last Will and Testament and he wanted them all to know what he was doing. Clearing his throat to get everyone's attention, Bruce began to speak. "I know that you all know why we are here so I will try to keep this quick and relatively painless. I'm leaving Wayne Technologies to Terry –"

Terry interrupted, "Bruce, no! Dick is your son and the one that is supposed to inherit your company. He won't make a mess of running it like I would."

Ignoring the interruption like it hadn't been spoken, Bruce kept talking, "– with a controlling interest of 41, and Max with a minor interest of 15."

Max gasped at being included as Tim said placidly, "Makes sense, the two of them have been running the company now for the last two years between them without realizing it." Two pairs of shocked eyes met his sly smile. "What? You guys never even noticed when Bruce stopped making any decisions – you just divided up the company according to your individual strengths and were off and running. I think that profits went up last year too, if I remember correctly."

"I'm a cop and a social worker, not a businessman. There is no way that I would be able to do anything with WayneTech and be in the least bit successful. You and Max are more than welcome to it Terry." Dick was quick to reassure the man who he now felt was like his youngest brother. His Romany heritage goaded him to say in a grand style, "I hereby renounce and abdicate any and all claim I might have had on Wayne Technologies..." then his voice dropped back to normal. "Not like I really had a say in the matter anyway. The only thing that I would ask, is now that Bruce and I have reconciled that I be allowed to move back here to Wayne Manor after I retire, to stay for good."

"I think that is more than acceptable." Terry said softly with a smile as he watched the contentment spread over his mentor's face. Terry and Dick were both finally accepting what Bruce wanted to give them.

Clearing his throat loudly, Bruce dragged them all back to topic. "Well, anyway. I have left the Manor and - all - its contents jointly to Terry and Dick with a codicil that it passes in entirety to Terry if Dick dies first. Two-thirds of the Wayne fortune will be staying with the Manor, and the other third will be divided as follows – " and he began to ramble off percentages to be awarded to each family unit in the extended 'Bat'-family.

There is a stunned silence for all of three seconds afterwards and then the room erupts into a clamor as all present begin to speak at once. Bruce rolled his eyes, and wondered idly if they could get through one day without some kind of argument ever, before knocking his cane loudly on the floor. He thundered in the old voice with narrow eyes, "Enough! I have made up my mind and I'm not going to change it so you had all best figure out how to deal with it."

No-one argued.

\- tbc -


	4. Chapter 4

Epilogue:

 _Wayne Manor, Gotham  
Early Fall, 2061  
5:19 p.m._

It was family dinner weekend at the Manor again and Terry was wondering if he should have cancelled this month. It had only been two weeks since they had all sat around the table and it still felt too raw to have them all back so soon. The gaps at the table glared at him, taunting him with the losses their family had suffered. Even though there were new faces around the table as well.

Two weeks ago they had buried Tim and his wife, Mandy after a horrific car accident had taken their lives prematurely. They were not the only absent faces from the long table, Bruce had died only four years after his reconciliation with Dick from a fourth heart attack. Barbara and Sam had been lost a year before that, along with over a hundred other people, when Mad Stan had made a major miscalculation with a new explosive. It had cost him his own life as well, but that didn't make those left behind feel any better. Especially Terry, who felt that he should have been able to do something – he was Batman after all.

Looking around the table, Terry tried to cheer himself up. His eyes lit on Matt and his bride of a year, Beth. 'Gads, they are worse than Dana and I ever were,' he mused, involuntarily amused as the two cooed at each other. Tim's two kids, Jan and Rick were more subdued along with their spouses, but it seemed they also weren't as troubled as he was. In fact, they appeared to be proportionately happier the more time they spent with the group. Max and Dana were chattering away together in their old way, which meant that no-one who didn't know them from before high school could understand a word. Terry had to grin at the look of total confusion on Max's husband's face as he attempted to follow at least part of the conversation between the two women. 'Give up pal, it's a lost cause.'

Lastly, his eyes drifted over to his mother and Dick. The two had become very close since Dick had started to attend the family dinners, and then when he had retired and moved back into the Manor – things had developed a bit more. Terry still wasn't sure how he felt about Dick, who was in some ways like his older brother, dating his mother. It just felt – odd. 'And very hillbilly...' He mentally slapped himself. 'Don't go there, McGinnis – just don't go there.'

Terry's eyes were drawn back to his wife as made a surprised sound and laughed as she rubbed her protruding tummy soothingly. "Darn kid is going to be a scrapper," her eyes sought out his and she smiled. "Just like their Daddy – eh, Ter?" He couldn't contain his pride or happiness at that and grinned widely. That is when he realized life was a never-ending cycle. Ups and downs, joy and despair, it was all part and parcel of being. You lost family members over time and gained new ones as you went on and they didn't have to be related to you by blood – only by ties of the heart. He knew that because he had been the one to show Bruce.

He raised his glass suddenly and cleared his throat to get the attention of the entire group, "I would like to propose a toast." All around the table glasses were raised along with curious eyebrows. "I would like to offer a toast to Family. To those that are not here yet," Terry motioned to Dana's stomach, "and to all present and accounted for as well as those who are gone. Barbara and Sam, Bruce, Tim and Mandy – family to us as well as to each other if not by blood, by the heart. We love and miss you. Peace."

Glasses clinked together and there were damp eyes all around as there were a few quiet "Hear, Hear!" cries heard. Dana moved to where her husband had been sitting to brood and slid onto his lap as best she was able with her new figure. She didn't say anything and neither did he; they just sat cuddling together amid their boisterous family.

\- End -


End file.
